Tod Linafelt

: The adverb חנם occurs twice (1:9 and 2:3) in the prose narrative of the book of Job. Despite their close proximity, there is a tendency among translators and commentators to interpret the two occurrences differently. Against the consensus that understands חנם in 1:9 as indicating ends (“for no reason”) and in 2:3 as indicating origins (“without cause”), we argue that one can and should interpret חנם in both cases to mean “without effect.” In our reading of 2:3, then, God is saying to the Adversary “You incited me against him, to destroy him with no effect,” that is, with no achieved purpose. The first round of testing has failed to solve the central question driving the opening narrative—namely, the motivation for Job’s piety—and so has been judged by God to have been חנם, thus making another round of testing necessary.

Herein we offer a critique of contemporary filmic visions of apocalypse. The problem with many Hollywood-style apocalyptic films is that they expect the end of the world to be a spectacular end of the whole world. Against this, by reviewing two contemporary films (Strange Days and Until the End of the World) we suggest that apocalypse may take on a greater significance if we understand that there are many worlds, and that rather than expecting the end of the world, we should be more vigilant in our examinations of the endings of a world. With this in mind, apocalyptic predictions given by Jesus in the gospels are reread and we note how these prophecies have already been fulfilled.